Getting In Touch With Nature

When people think of Australia, images of expansive beaches, endless sunshine and some pretty unique animals usually come to mind.

This week, students didn't just get to see the furry tree-dwellers and friendly marsupials that can only be found on this island continent, they got up close and personal with some of Australia's most iconic fauna.

On today’s excursion, we visited Caversham Wildlife Park, a 5-acre park about 30 minutes northwest of Perth that houses more than 200 species of animals, to get some truly hands-on learning in with the critters themselves.

We’ve spent the last couple of class days learning all about the uniqueness of Australian wildlife – and the particular challenges they face – but interacting with roos and reptiles, koalas and wombats in real life was an experience that couldn’t be matched by anything they had read in a book or seen in a video.

If you need any more convincing, here are some of the glowing reviews from the students themselves:

      “I can’t believe I actually touched a koala!”  ~ Diana

      “[Koalas] are a lot fluffier than I thought they were.”  ~Carly

      “My face is so red because I just keep smiling.”  ~Hailey

To add even more context to the research students have been doing, our instructor, Nina, took us on a guided bushwalk through nearby Whiteman Park.  Here, we were able to see the effects of disease, drought and invasive species on local plants, as well as the thriving natural ecosystem of the region.  We even got to see a mob of kangaroos in the wild! 

Though we’ve only been here for a few days, this is easily proving to be one of the highlights of the trip so far, and it’s going to be pretty tough to beat.